On Thursday, Oct. 23, as parents and kids made their way to R.L. Beattie and Lo-Ellen Secondary, things were more chaotic than normal on Loach’s Road as emergency vehicles responded to a student being hit by a car.
Everyone who drove or walked by the scene held their breath as they checked to see if the bike and backpack on the ground belonged to their kid or someone they knew. There has been no news released (that I have seen) providing an update on the well-being of the student hit or details on the incident, so all the details we have are from neighbourhood kids and their account of what happened.
My wife and I have two boys who go to R.L. Beattie, and we encourage them to ride their bikes or walk each day. After all, we want to encourage them to make healthy decisions and develop lifelong habits that will reduce their risk of a long list of chronic illnesses related to a sedentary lifestyle (and also have some fun without their parents hovering around).
But they need to use the crosswalk where this accident happened, and we're worried we're making the wrong decision. We worry that we should be driving them or putting them on the bus so we know they won't be the next ones to be hit. We know other parents who have made this decision. And it doesn’t stop with kids either, so many adults also have stories of almost being hit here.
In Lo-Ellen, drivers are generally respectful of pedestrians, and it seems like the perfect spot to let kids have some freedom. The problem is Loach’s Road, which divides the neighbourhood and funnels drivers out to Regent Street.
There are two major schools (R.L. Beattie and Lo-Ellen Secondary) on either side of the road that have over 1,500 students between them. Between 7:30 and 9 a.m. and 2:30 and 4 p.m. on school days, it is utter chaos. There are student drivers, parents late for work, buses full of screaming kids, and regular traffic mixed with kids as young as five walking and biking to school with their parents, as well as kids (like mine) who are old enough to start having the freedom to get themselves to school on their own.
With all of this going on, there is one solitary crosswalk in the middle of the chaos, directly in front of the high school. It has painted white lines (not visible in the winter). No crossing guard. No bollards. No flashing lights. No bright signs. No raised pedestrian crossing.
Since I moved to Sudbury six years ago, this crosswalk and traffic on Loach’s Road have been an item on the Local CAN’s agenda. We’ve formed committees, we’ve had meetings, we’ve emailed the city and the school board warning something like this would happen. I don’t know what else we’re supposed to do. I want to stop worrying about my kids getting to school.
Rob Klein
Greater Sudbury